1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an article of footwear, and more particularly a sports shoe with a gripping system.
2. Description of Related Art
There are many sports activities that include kicking a ball. Examples of such sports include soccer, football, rugby, Australian-rules football, and kickball. Conventional sports shoes that are available for these sports typically have an upper made of natural or synthetic leather. Other materials such as nylon may also be used. These conventional materials generally do not have high coefficients of friction when contacting the ball, and can fail to properly grip or contact the ball.
Features to increase friction between the ball and shoe have been proposed. Randall (U.S. Pat. No. 3,525,165) teaches a removable flap kicking aid that attaches to the front cleat studs and the shoelaces, acting as a cover to the shoelaces. The removable flap has a series of gripping protrusions that are aligned along the longitudinal axis of the shoe.
Johnston (U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,112) and Lee et al. (U.S. patent application 2004/0055183), both of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety, teach sports shoes having protrusions or strips along the sides of the front portion of the shoe.
There is a need in the art for a sports shoe having a gripping element that is located at an optimal contact location for generating power during kicking and having a gripping element that provides an even or symmetrical contact area.